I was having a bad day, but then I saw a new Scottish folklore/mythology video by Liath Wolf and instantly felt better. Can't wait to visit old friends and family in Scotland this summer.
I love this story! I kind of reminds me of a folk tale from North East India where a foolish son in law, after a serious of misadventures brought in by his foolishness, finds himself sleeping among the sheep wrapped in a fleece. In the night a group of thieves try to steal him and he startles them by begging them to pull his butt out of the water while they're crossing the river. It's different in the details, but it's got the same sense of humor.
Poor Jock - he was labelled as lazy but carrying a peddler's pack or plough socks or caring for horses or cows all day is hard yakka. His mother appears to have been one of the ones calling him names but not teaching him even rudimentary life skills. So, Jock may not have been the sharpest tool in the shed but he does seem to have been set up for failure.